Dancing on the Ceiling is Lionel Richie's third solo album, recorded beginning in 1985 and released in mid-1986. The album was originally to be titled Say You, Say Me, after the Academy Award-winning track of the same name, but it was renamed after Richie rewrote the album. The album was released to generally positive reviews and warm sales, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 and moving 4 million copies. Following the album's release Richie went on a long hiatus, releasing his first album of entirely new material ten years later.

During early production, the album was intended to be titled Say You, Say Me[1] and released in December 1985.[4] However, Richie found that he did not "want to do those songs" owing to the social conditions he saw, and as such he began rewriting it "to express what [he] felt the world was boxing itself into".[4] Ultimately, the album's title was changed to Dancing on the Ceiling, as the titular song was Richie's next single.[1] Recording for the album took over a year and a half,[5] and Richie later stated that he tried to include a mixture of sounds.[3]

Dancing on the Ceiling peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200. The title cut was the second biggest single from the album, reaching No. 2 in the US and No. 7 in the UK, falling behind "Say You, Say Me"‍‍ '​‍s earlier performance. Other Top 10 singles from the album include "Love Will Conquer All" (U.S. No. 9, UK No. 45) and "Ballerina Girl" (U.S. No. 7, UK No. 17). Meanwhile, "Deep River Woman" reached No. 10 on Billboard‍‍ '​‍s Hot Country Singles chart.[7]

Dancing on the Ceiling has generally received positive reviews. Anthony Decurtis, reviewing in Rolling Stone, gave the album a positive review, writing that it "sets an impressive standard for mainstream pop craft", encompassing Richie's "finest qualities".[10] He especially praised the track "Say You, Say Me", but found "Ballerina Girl" a "virtual anthology of Richie's worst saccharine excesses".[10]

Music critic Robert Christgau ranked the album a B+. He found that it provided "lulling, almost mantralike entertainment" with "a knack for tune that puts [Richie] over the fine line between lulling and boring".[9] His criticism centered on "Ballerina" for its mawkishness and lack of interest in some of the faster songs.[9] Meanwhile, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of allmusic gave Dancing on the Ceiling four out of five stars, summarizing that, overall, the album was "a solid, enjoyable affair".[8] He considered, however, it a "comedown" after Richie's previous albums, with its songs generally longer than necessary and the lyrics mixing "silliness ... and sappiness".[8]

Following the success of Dancing on the Ceiling, Richie withdrew almost entirely from the music industry for six years, a move which Steve Huey of allmusic suggests was "quitting while he was ahead".[1] He released a compilation album – with some new material – entitled Back to Front in 1992, with his first all-new release, Louder Than Words, following in 1996. As of 2013[update], none of his successive albums have been as successful as Lionel Richie, Can't Slow Down, and Dancing on the Ceiling.[1] A remastered edition of Dancing on the Ceiling was released in 2003, featuring four bonus tracks.[11]